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TOPICAL READING.

THE POPULATION QUESTION. Unfortunately the inflated prices lately ruling have prevented many would-be buyers from obtaining farms in the open market, and consequently, there is an exceptional demand for Crown lands. Our own complaint is that the land for settlement lands and the Crown lands are still not available on sufficiently generous terms. We cannot give the land away, but we could make it possible for a vigorous young settler, possessing plenty of muscle and com-mon-sense and little capital, to acquire and stock a modest holding. It is only by an extension of our land settlement policy in this direction, remarks the "Lyttelton Times," that we shall be able to attract to New Zealand the population that the country needs for its development and defence, and we hope that the reconstructed Ward Government will have the courage and enterprise to take the problem in hand.

AS OTHERS SEE US. Professor Alfred Manes, in the 18th volume of "Die ArbeiterVersicherung im Auslande." deals with the insurance of workmen in Australia and New Zealand, and the social and economic conditions prevailing in the Commonwealth and in the Dominion. Of the people of the Dominion, Professor Manes generalises as follows Whoever approaches a New Zealander with general principles is not understood by him. He will not hear anything of principles; he sees only the practical. He will not hear of duty, only of interest. If you point out to him that the future must sulEer from the unhappy consequences of a law, he will say that the immediate results are excellent, and he does not care

what will happen in twenty or thirty years. The appeal to the State is simply a mania there. With all that New Zealanders are brava and simple, and know no obstacles. ( Without theorising, even despising j all science, they try to solve a pressing question quickly and nractkally. Though they may not possess a clear insight into the difficulties of a problem when solving it, they attack it with astounding boldness and see it through. For the New Zealander the Stale is all in all, and omnipotent, like "the . little father" of the Russian, but un- ' like the Russian, to him the State is always near arid ready to help, in all matters. He looks upon it as capable of making every man better, and of removing all wretchedness, and thus has slowly grown up his social legislature, not influenced by theories. A'■ further characteristic of the New Zealander is the desire to have absolutely new State institutions, to servo as a shining example to the rest of the world. They wish people to speak about them, and the advertisement which they received through the introduction of the female franchise and old age pension was effec tive enough. A fanatical patriotism makes New Zealand's citizens believe that to them has come the call to reform the whole world."

THE PHOTOGRAPHER PIGEON

There are certain primitive aids to man's business or pleasure which no up-to-date discovery avails to supplant. No mechanical agent, for example, has yet superseded the sheepdog; and, with all our telegraphic and other advantages, we have no idea of giving up the services of the carrier pigeon. The first messagebearer in the world's history only accommodates himself, as time goes on, to any new demands. From conveying olive branches he proceeds to siege usefulness in time of war, to assistant journalism, to parcel post work on a small scale, and finally to going forth, equipped with all necessary apparatus, as a camera fiend. The idea of this arose with a certain Dr Neubronner, of Cronberg. when a messenger pigeon, failing to be punctual in returning, was con demntd to carry a miniature camera, as a means of detecting where it might have stayed by the way. The first pictures taken were so satisfactory that this bird-camera, with various improvamenta v was patented by Dr Neubronner; and the pigeon photographer, helped by an automaiic action opening the shutter at regular intervals, can secure a series of records which only need magnifying to be of great interest to the human photographer at home. At a recent lecture pigeon pictures were shown of the late Emperor Frederick's park, so strictly inaccessible to the public, that this success was judged fco demonstrate in striking fashion "the possibility of using carrier pigeons for obtaining pictures of beleaguered forts." The German War Department promptly became alert, and entrusted Dr Neubronner's dove-cote with the task of taking views from two kilometres distance of the Tegel waterworks, "which are quite similar to a fortress," and again the results were highly successful. The invention of the air-ship, even, is not to reduce the value of the pigeon-photagrapher. It is prophesied that air-ships doing scout duty in war will only carry the pigeons to a convenient height, then launch than 1 ! over the enemy to do thsir work and return, while the balloons themselves remain safely beyond range of projectiles.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAG19090204.2.10

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3107, 4 February 1909, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
827

TOPICAL READING. Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3107, 4 February 1909, Page 4

TOPICAL READING. Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3107, 4 February 1909, Page 4

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